Assetmark Inc. Has $25.82 Million Stock Holdings in Yum China $YUMC

Key Points

• Assetmark Inc. boosted its Yum China stake by 31.4% in Q4 to 540,905 shares, now valued at about $25.82 million.
• Yum China beat quarterly expectations with $0.40 EPS (vs. $0.35) and $2.82B revenue (vs. $2.72B), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.29 (annualized $1.16, ~2.3% yield).
• Insiders have been net sellers (CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares; 135,117 shares sold in the last 90 days, ≈$7.48M), even as institutional ownership remains high at 85.58% and analysts' consensus is a "Moderate Buy" (average target ~$59.05).

Assetmark Inc. grew its position in shares of Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Free Report) by 31.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 540,905 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 129,232 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc. owned approximately 0.15% of Yum China worth $25,823,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in YUMC. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of Yum China by 13.8% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 21,289 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,108,000 after purchasing an additional 2,582 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the first quarter worth approximately $99,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 60.9% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,522 shares of the company's stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Yum China in the second quarter worth approximately $14,659,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Yum China by 13.1% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,871,382 shares of the company's stock worth $262,509,000 after acquiring an additional 677,928 shares during the period. 85.58% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Yum China Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of Yum China stock opened at $49.38 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $48.70. Yum China has a 12-month low of $41.00 and a 12-month high of $58.39. The company has a market capitalization of $17.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01.

Yum China (NYSE:YUMC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.72 billion. Yum China had a return on equity of 14.65% and a net margin of 7.87%.Yum China's revenue was up 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.30 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Yum China will post 2.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Yum China Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were paid a $0.29 dividend. This is a boost from Yum China's previous quarterly dividend of $0.24. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Yum China's dividend payout ratio is currently 46.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on YUMC. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $63.64 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Wall Street Zen raised Yum China from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $58.50 price objective on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Yum China in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $59.05.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Joey Wat sold 104,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.18, for a total transaction of $5,738,720.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 433,306 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,909,825.08. This represents a 19.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Xueling Lu sold 23,504 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.84, for a total value of $1,312,463.36. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,042 shares in the company, valued at $504,905.28. This represents a 72.22% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 135,117 shares of company stock valued at $7,479,590 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Yum China Profile

Yum China Holdings, Inc operates as the largest quick-service restaurant company in China, through its ownership and franchising of brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. The company's core business encompasses full-service and fast‐casual dining, takeout and delivery channels, as well as ancillary services including loyalty programs and digital ordering platforms. Yum China's restaurants offer a diverse menu that adapts global brand concepts to local consumer preferences, featuring items such as soy‐marinated chicken, customized pizzas and region‐inspired side dishes.

In addition to its signature brands, Yum China has expanded its portfolio to include innovative concepts tailored to evolving market trends, such as plant‐based offerings, self‐service kiosks and mobile app integrations.

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